Just let go, will you?

Have you ever come across a habitual whiner, someone whose descent on earth in a human form is with a sole mission to crib? I have. The moment I suffered the misfortune of being introduced to Chaddha ji’s brother, I knew there was something genetically demented about the Chaddha clan. He began by cursing the ‘terrible’ heat in Delhi (at this point, I must mention that he lives in Jalandhar, not the North Pole).

Went on to whine about everything - from traffic jam to his 400 gm weight gain. ‘So how will Delhi ensure that stadiums are built in time for the commonwealth games?’ he asked me, when told that I am a journalist. ‘Hmm, I don’t know’, I replied, not sure if I was supposed to know. He gave me the look of disdain I’m sure he had reserved for the quota-enriched women MPs. Shaking his head, he said, ‘I don’t think the stadiums would be ready. Very worrying.’

Well, I’m sorry Mr Chaddha. I refuse to worry about things that are neither my fault, nor in my powers to fix. I have enough tensions of my own to deal with. At times we make it our business to fret about things that are best left to someone else. And it’s not just true for social issues. Even at home or in workplace, we often invite tensions that would have passed us by, had we not left our mind’s door ajar.

Here are three simple things you can do to ensure you get yours and ‘only your’ share of stress in life. 1. Curb the habit of jumping into an argument that doesn’t concern you. Many get instinctively involved if they spot two car drivers yelling and fighting after their vehicles have hit each other on the road. Unless someone needs medical help, don't waste your time and peace of mind by unnecessarily poking your head into it. Maybe the ones fighting will also resolve matters quickly if there’s no audience to egg them on. 2. We all have opinions on issues of national importance, and rightly so. But when dinner table discussions on politics turn into heated debates, remember that you are paying taxes to ensure that it’s someone duty to run the country. Shouting at your spouse or arguing with a friend over the ‘sad state of our system’ has slim chances of improving it. Oh, but the probability of your evening getting spoilt is quite high. 3. At work too, remember not to meddle with issues where you are not expected to. For instance, emails that are marked to someone else and copied (cc-ed) to you are mostly meant only to inform you or keep you in the loop. Curb the urge to jump into or take sides in an argument happening between colleagues where you could just easily be a silent spectator. Don’t answer or advise when you’re not asked to. Uncomplicate your life.

Sonal Kalra couldn’t sleep all night worrying about the fate of the women’s reservation bill. And now there’s the added tension of Nicholas Sarkozy’s marriage going wrong.